Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice is one of P. D. Q. Bach’s most
incomprehensible operas, and the character of the Monk is one of the most
incomprehensible characters in it, and the aria sung by the Monk is
incomprehensible in several different languages. According to The Definitive Biography of P. D. Q. Bach,
“Pope Pius VI listed the Monk’s infamous aria Et expecto as one of the
main reasons for his excommunication of P. D. Q. in 1787.” For a clue to
why this may be, check the record album The Intimate P. D. Q. Bach, where this aria can be heard. For
another clue, check the lyrics printed below, where this aria can be read, even
if not comprehended.